The number of people killed in Myanmar following a powerful earthquake has risen to 1,644, and 3,408 others injured, according to local reports.
Local reports also said a further 139 people are missing across the country.
It comes as dramatic footage shows the moment a building several stories high collapsed into rubble in Mandalay.
Survivors in the city dug with their bare hands in a desperate attempt to find trapped people.
It struck at around 12.50pm local time (6.20am UK time) on Friday at a shallow depth of six miles.
The quake’s epicentre was about 10 miles from the second city of Mandalay.
There were also aftershocks, with one measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude 12 minutes later.
The King sent a message of condolence. “I know that the people of Myanmar continue to endure so much hardship and tragedy in your lives, and I have long admired your extraordinary resilience and spirit,” he said in a statement.
“At this most difficult and heartbreaking of times, my wife and I send our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have suffered the profound tragedy of losing their loved ones, their homes and their precious livelihoods.”
The first major disaster to suffer the brunt of Trump’s aid cuts
This will be the first natural disaster to happen after President Donald Trump shut down America’s international aid agency with potentially devastating consequences.
The impact in the aftermath of this earthquake is likely to be severe. Trump’s decision to shut down the US Agency for International Development was already reported to have decimated US aid operations in Myanmar. Its global impact is hard to overstate. American aid had provided 40% of developmental aid worldwide.
Yesterday, Trump promised Myanmar aid for the earthquake. In reality, his administration has fired most of the people most experienced at organising that help and shut down the means to provide it.
The last of its staff were ironically only let go yesterday, even as the president was making lofty promises to help.
The US State Department says it has maintained a team of experts in the country. But former USAID officials say the system is now ‘in shambles’ without the wherewithal to conduct search and rescue or transfer aid.
China‘s President Xi Jinping has also sent his condolences to Myanmar’s leader Min Aung Hlaing after the earthquake, and, according to the Chinese embassy in Myanmar, they have spoken on the phone.
A Chinese rescue team arrived in Yangon, Myanmar’s former capital, early on Saturday while Russia and the US have also offered to provide humanitarian assistance and relief.
A rescue worker at the site of a collapsed building in Bangkok. Pic: Reuters
Neighbouring Thailand was also affected by the quake, leaving at least seven people dead, eight injured and 47 missing.
Buildings in five of Myanmar‘s cities and towns collapsed, along with a railway bridge and a road bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay Expressway, state media reported. A dam has also burst.
The control tower Naypyitaw, airport, which serves the capital city, has collapsed meaning runways cannot be used.
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Swimming pool shakes as earthquake hits
Recalling the moment they left their home in Mandalay, one resident said they “ran out of the house as everything started shaking”.
They said they “witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of [their] eyes”, adding, “everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside buildings”.
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What made the earthquake so powerful?
The natural disaster – the largest earthquake in this region in nearly 80 years – comes as the country is in the grip of a civil war.
Search efforts continued on Saturday morning in Bangkok as the city’s governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, said people were believed to be alive in the wreckage at three construction sites, including one where a partially built high-rise collapsed.
Most of the city’s metro and light rail resumed normal operation on Saturday morning, according to their operators.
Major General Zaw Min Tun, a spokesperson for the military government, told MRTV that blood was in high demand in earthquake-hit areas, as he urged donors to contact hospitals as soon as possible.
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Sky reports from site of collapsed building
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said UN staff were working to gather information on the number of people impacted by the earthquake and the scope of the humanitarian needs.
Read more:
Bangkok felt like a city caught off guard
Eyewitnesses describe earthquake hitting Myanmar and Bangkok
The earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand, and tremors also affected Laos, Vietnam, and Bangladesh
The ruling military junta said a state of emergency has been declared in Sagaing Region, Mandalay Region, Magway Region and northeastern Shan State, Nay Pyi Taw Council Area, and Bago Region.
“The government has ordered a rapid investigation of the damage in these areas,” the junta added in a statement.
“We will carry out relief and relief operations promptly. We will also work to provide necessary disaster relief and humanitarian assistance.”
The Red Cross has said its attempts to reach Mandalay and Sagaing regions and the southern Shan state are made more challenging by downed power lines.
China will provide 100 million yuan (£10.63m) worth of aid to Myanmar, including tents, blankets, emergency medical kits, food and water.
The first batch is set to arrive on 31 March, according to the Chinese embassy’s Facebook page.
